Interview with an Influencer: Liv Blankson

Hi Liv! Welcome to Interview with an Influencer, will you tell us a little about yourself?

Hi hi, I’m Liv, 23 years old and I’m the epitome of a cancer star sign who likes to document her outfit pics and write about her life experiences.

How did you get to where you are?

I had a lot of free time, due to personal reasons, and wanted something productive to put my time into. People used to ask me where all my outfits were from so I figured why not become a poser and start putting them all online. I’m also a hundred times better at communicating in writing than speech, so there’s that…

Is there something you wish brands knew about influencers?

That we are humans, just like them, not machines! And this is a 24/7 job so we do tend to need payment or we have to live off toast and compliments. It’s not very nutritious.

Who is your favourite influencer in your space?

Adore Lizzie from Shot From The Street. She’s down to earth, honest and has the most awesome hair and wardrobe. Everything I aspire to be.

What sort of relationship do you have with your followers? How do you make sure you constantly engage with them?

I do try to reply to EVERY SINGLE COMMENT and usually as soon as I receive them. It can become a little overwhelming otherwise! There may be the odd emoji that I’ll ‘like’ instead of reply to. But I tend to make sure I’m not just responding with the same, generic thing to everybody.

What are you most excited about getting involved with this year?

Alllllll the travelling (I hope). I went on my first press trip this year and it was wondrous.

What is your dream brand to work with?

Probably Chloe. But Tommy Hilfiger are a close second. I went to a brunch with them this year and had to pinch myself that I was sat there with a personalised denim jacket tbh.

If you hadn’t gone into being a content creator, what would you be doing right now?

Working full time at Goat, of course!

What are the boring bits about being an influencer?

Admin, admin, admin. It’s not all fun and games and posing in front of pretty houses. There are taxes to pay and invoices to chase!

How are you different to everyone else?

I think, as long as you’re true to yourself, you’ll always be different. That’s why influencers are so popular. We’re just unashamedly us. Though I am pretty known for my rambly, weirdo captions.

Do you ever wish you just had a ‘normal’ job?

When I’m lonely. A little. But having so much freedom, both physically and creatively is a pretty rare and wonderful thing.

What is your biggest frustration about the industry? What one change would you make?

People thinking it’s not a legitimate job and that influencers don’t deserve to be paid.

What are the best and worst moments of being an influencer?

Best – overcoming my anxiety to travel to Amsterdam on my first press trip. Worst – realising that not everyone in this industry is out to be your friend. Even if they may lead you to believe so.

How is it working with brands? Has there been any horror stories?

Actually everyone has been amazing. Though one brand that did reach out to me ended up telling me they don’t pay people with ‘such few followers’. Direct quote. As you can imagine, it made me feel really great and worthy.

How is it working with Goat?

They’re a bunch of crazy cats who can do more in this industry than anyone I’ve ever come across. They’ve not only enabled me to see the value in myself and grow in confidence but I’ve also witnessed them do some incredible things and it’s been a pleasure to witness their growing success.